CSS's 2006 debut magically managed to capture the deliriously ramshackle atmosphere of the Sao Paolo arty-party scene they emerged from. Two years of constant touring, countless festivals, a loss of a member (bassplayer Ira) and the addition of Gwen Stefani's producer, and something's gone awry. T...
CSS‘s 2006 debut magically managed to capture the deliriously ramshackle atmosphere of the Sao Paolo arty-party scene they emerged from. Two years of constant touring, countless festivals, a loss of a member (bassplayer Ira) and the addition of Gwen Stefani‘s producer, and something’s gone awry.
Throughout the whole nu-rave hoopla, the band always insisted they were essentially indie rock kids, which the Pixies twang of lead single “Rat Is Dead” confirms. The track is animated by a livid sense of vengeance, but elsewhere, on “Reggae All Night” and “Believe Achieve” the band sound oddly lifeless, going through the motions of fun. Only “I Fly” – a dream of taking insect wing to buzz around, stalking your lover – retains much of their old infectious insanity.
STEPHEN TROUSSÉ
